Legislative deal would shut 2 state prisons in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two privately run state prisons would be shut under a deal tentatively reached between Texas Senate and House negotiators.

The Austin American-Statesman is reporting (http://bit.ly/120R6Bn ) the agreement doesn't specify which prisons are to be closed and will leave that decision to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, which governs the prison system.

Two lockups have been targeted in the Senate's version of the state budget for closing — a 2,100-bed transfer facility at Mineral Wells and a 2,200-bed state jail in Dallas. The House budget continues money for both.

But under new wording in the budget bills, legislators say $97 million will be removed from the criminal justice budget. That's the amount it costs to run the Dallas and Mineral Wells facilities.